Artificial reality systems (e.g., virtual reality (VR) systems, augmented reality (AR) systems, and the like) may enable users to engage in more immersive experiences than those that may be provided by ordinary television or video gaming. While wearing a VR or AR device (e.g., a head-mounted display (HMD)), a user may view different portions of a virtual scene (e.g., a scene that is captured or artificially generated) simply by reorienting his or her head, just as the user may do within a real-world environment. The virtual scene may be presented in the HMD to the user based on the position and orientation of the user's head, such that the scene is altered based on changes in the position and/or orientation of the user's head. A mobile VR system may also account for the movement of the user as the user walks about within the real-world environment such that the user perceives himself or herself to be moving within a virtual environment.
In some cases, these features may permit the user to engage with the environment in a way that causes the user to forget important aspects of the user's real-world environment. For example, a user attempting to walk from one position to another within the virtual environment may fail to account for, or be unable to see, a real-world obstacle (e.g., a table, a couch, or a wall) due to the user's lack of awareness of the real-world environment. Such circumstances may result in the user colliding with, or otherwise making unwanted contact with, the obstacle.